August 30, 1973 – After only about a half-hour informal meeting at Ridgway Wednesday night this week, the Ouray and Ridgway school boards agreed on details having to do with students who wish to transfer from either district. Bus routes were discussed. It was agreed that neither school will provide transportation for students outside of their own district.

Any student wishing to cross district lines to come into the other school will be accepted, but must find their own transportation to the school or to the district line where the school’s bus will pick them up.

Ouray Superintendent Dan Kerr will draw up an agreement incorporating the verbal agreements for formal approval by both boards.

40 YEARS AGO

September 1, 1983 – Tom Hash and Harold E. Hartley, both of Ouray County, were bound over to the District Court in Montrose for arraignment September 16 on a charge of criminal attempt, a class 5 felony. The charge stems from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of July 8, 1983, at the Revenue-Virginius Mine south of Ouray. That night, Bob Larson, Pat Garcia, and Joe Mora, employed at the mine, were returning to the mine to clean out a culvert when they spotted a Jeep parked by the snowshed. Believing someone to be underground in the mine, they called the Ouray County Sheriff’s Department, and Undersheriff Jerry Wakefield and Deputy Pete Peterson responded. Meanwhile, a train of mucking cars came out of the mine that contained 11 cases of dynamite and 9 boxes of flash caps. The dynamite and flash caps were found in the cars by the officers, and Hash and Hartley were found on the premises.

30 YEARS AGO

September 2, 1993 – For 16 years the holiday season was a time of silent misery for Barbara Peterson of Ouray. While most were celebrating the joyous time surrounded by their families; with her husband Pete’s support, Barbara quietly mourned the loss of a daughter she had never met. In 1969 Barbara was 21 years old, unsure where her life was heading, unwed and pregnant. Knowing she was not ready to be a mother, and with the unborn child’s father showing no interest in the baby, Barbara made the hardest decision a mother can make. She left to Oklahoma to have the baby and put it up for adoption. “Last Mother’s Day I took it upon myself to make the first move. I sent her Mother’s Day flowers,” Barbara said. “After that, the phone rang one day and a voice said ‘Barbara, this is Caroline, your daughter.’ That was the first time I ever heard her voice and my feet haven’t touched the ground since.” Last July Barbara finally made the trek back to Oklahoma to see Caroline. “I went with my other two daughters, Nikki and Jenni, to see her. They were a little shocked when they first found out about it all. But things have a way of working themselves out and they all get along great now,” said Barbara.

20 YEARS AGO

September 5, 2003 – Several residents and business owners near the Livery Stable have complained about the flies and smell of manure coming from the horse-riding business. City Council took action Monday to step up enforcement of the city code, which requires “areas in which animals are kept shall be completely cleaned of manure and feces…at least twice a month.” Bob and Karen Risch, who live northwest of the Livery Stable, asked the council to modify its code and increase the required frequency for cleanings. Bob Risch said the stable has not been cleaned during August. The Linscotts, who were not at the meeting, have operated the Livery Stable for 35 years, said Jeralyn Linscott. “We’ve always tried to clean it over the years. When it rains it’s almost impossible. You have to wait until it dries.” The Risches said they do not open their south or southeast windows during July, due to flies and odor. The couple said they have also avoided eating dinner on their deck for six weeks.

10 YEARS AGO

September 5, 2013 – A former Ouray resident was killed while trying to protect children during an armed robbery at a Denny’s restaurant in Houston last week.

Greig Placette, 64, was shot twice during the robbery, once in the chest and once in the shoulder. According to reports, he was attempting to shield children at a neighboring table in the restaurant when the shooting occurred. Placette, of Katy, Texas, was president and owner of Houston General Trading Company (HGTC) and was an active member of the business and political community in Houston. He lived in Ouray for several years in the 1980s and 1990s, running his business, American Material Resources. Ouray resident and acquaintance Gary Miller said he had worked for Placette when he first moved to Silverton in the early 1980s.